Official: Washington Redskins fire Mike Shanahan

The Washington Redskins have officially announced that they have decided to part company with coach Mike Shanahan after a disappointing season.

The Redskins were 24-40 under Shanahan, the worst record of any NFC East team during his regime and the same winning percentage as two of his predecessors as the under-fire coach lost double-digit games in three of his four seasons.

Having seen their season end on Sunday after compiling a 3-13 record, they finished the year with an eight-game losing streak which is their longest since 1960.

“Redskins fans deserve a better result,” owner Dan Snyder said in a statement released by the team.

“We thank Mike for his efforts on behalf of the Redskins. We will focus on what it takes to build a winning team, and my pledge to this organization and to this community is to continue to commit the resources and talent necessary to put this team back in the playoffs.”

It has been somewhat of a downward slide for the Redskins since the playoff defeat to the Seattle Seahawks last year, where rookie quarterback Robert Griffin III suffered a torn ACL and needed surgery to repair two other ligaments too.

While there were question marks over whether or not he was rushed back this year, he conceded that he knew he shared a great deal of responsibility with his coach at training camp in the summer, but from being potential Super Bowl candidates their season unraveled quickly.

The Redskins were also hit with a $36m cap penalty over two seasons which prevented them from making significant moves in the summer, whilst also losing some key components.

As a result, Shanahan has now paid the price for his inability to bring them success, and just as his arrival heralded a massive rebuild of the franchise, his successor will now face a similarly difficult task as well.